Magical Theory
by The Wild Stark
Summary: A dull non-fiction text (set in a fictional universe) outlining a load of stuff about magic and how it works.


**Magical Theory**

_by Damien P. Sheehan_

This isn't a really fic or an author's note. If anything it's a non-fiction text set in about a fictional universe.

As a scientist my biggest problem with magic has long been the thing I find most annoying in the Harry Potter universe. HP magic has no regard for plausibility or scientific limitations. You can't transfigure food, but you can travel time? And time turners are given out o people who want to study a lot?

I think not.

I have recently come up with an idea for a fic I'd like to write, and it is against my nature to make up magic (as in the fundmental laws of the universe I'm writing about) as I go along. To this end I have made an attempt to outline how magic works and what it can do in my take on the HP universe.

A lot of people will find this dull, the more scientific-minded or logical among you might actually find this mildly interesting (I did) and if you do find it interesting feel free to contribute to the science of HP or ask about it.

If you are one of the people who doesn't find it interesting I would suggest you read the final section before reading my upcoming fic or any others, instead of typing at me in CAPS lock when I deliberately ignore bits of JKR writing. You may recognise some ideas from other fics, I have been influenced by countless fics and won't list them because I can't remember half of them other then half-remembered ideas that popped up while I was doing this.

* * *

**Fundemental Theory**

All magic works within the bounds of science (as best I understand it) and can be divided by its effects which loosely match the fields of magic taught at Hogwarts.

The effects of magic are an extension of the will of the caster powered by their own energy. The cost in magical energy is equal to the cost in any other form of energy (in joules), magic's advantages are in its instantaneous nature and its dominance over science (all magic occurs within the bounds of science, but magic can be used to reorder matter and alter biological organisms).

Magic allows a user, in return for an amount of their energy to rearrange things while obeying science. For example transfiguring a metal object to another object of the same metal and equal mass requires little energy, because it is purely a rearrangement of atoms (more on this later).

Magic gives an advantage over doing something the 'muggle' way for several reasons: magic is capable of almost instantaneous action, magic transfers pure energy and magic requires less knowledge. To put these into context I will return to the example of the metal-to-metal, constant mass transfiguration mentioned previously.

_Example:_

_To take 0.1 kg of iron and create a blade you must heat it to soften the metal and then shape it. To do this you draw energy from a heat source to make the iron malleable and on your own physical strength to transfer energy via a hammer to shape it. And you need the knowledge/skill to do so. The heating process and the shaping require time as you can not transfer the energy from your body through the hammer in all the required directions at once, so you need to hit it repeatedly and from different directions, and your transfer the heat in a less than ideal manner having to deal with conuctivity and heat loss._

_Magically doing the same thing is almost instantaneous. You have don't need a knowledge of muggle craftsmanship. Additionally you don't expend as much energy since you don't deal with the heat loss. When the blade is complete it will be cold so the heat transferred to the iron bar is lost to the environment and is therefore not used in the transfiguration. Since you do not deal with changing between different forms of energy you don't have an energy loss to the enviroment._

_The advantage of magic in the example above is that less energy is used, that less time is taken and that magic has replaced method with intent (to an extent)._

* * *

**Forms of Magic**

As magic is intent based it works on more levels than one, the same way as a chemical reaction does not break a reactant into the smallest possible building blocks before assembling the product, but instead works using the largest possible intermediates (ions and molecules). This results in the 'forms' of magic which wizarding society recognizes to an extent through its classification of magic. The forms are:

**Sub-atomic manipulation**: Manipulation of matter on an atomic/sub-atomic scale. This consists of the apparent creation of matter through rearranging elementary particles (fermions, quarks, leptons and bosons) from the surroundings. [In wizard-terminology: conjuring]

**Molecular manipulation**: Manipulation of matter on a molecular/atomic scale. This consists of two branches, chemical and structural. Structural is seen in the iron sword example above. Chemical would be a freezing spell or the transfiguration of wood to charcoal, or oil to plastic. Since the chemical components of are present and do not need to be changed. [In wizard-terminology: transfiguration]

**Biological manipulation**: Manipulation of living things. Here the magic interacts with a functioning organism and effects it biologically as oppose to on a purely physical basis. While this is scientifically the same thing the intent makes the difference. So when you consider the cheering charm magic is sending the body the signal to release endorphins and working with the body, as oppose to manipulating matter to create endorphins within the brain or magically 'injecting' them from elsewhere. [In wizard-terminology: certain charms, most hexes and curses]

**Physical manipulation**: Manipulation of objects. The interaction of magic with an object as a force. In a manner similar to gravity or a push. [In wizard-terminology: charms, summoning charms etc.]

**Energy manipulation**: The transfer of energy without chemical or physical interaction. Setting fire to something, freezing it, warming, cooling, lighting etc. Any use of magic whose output is measured in energy be it light, heat or electricity. [In wizard-terminology: to varied to categorize]

While the wizarding categorisation is useful when teaching a magic user to use, as oppose to understand magic, it is to dissimilar to make any real comparison between magical forms and wizarding disciplines or subjects.

* * *

**The Function of Spells**

I am well aware that I have included freezing in my examples of forms of magic and the reason for this is the use of spells. While magic works purely of intent it is not intelligent, if a wizard intends to kill something without spells or a wand they could do so, but the cost to them would be unpredictable. Magic does not seek out the most efficient way to do something.

In order to cast wandless spelless magic a wizard would require an intricate understanding of their desired spell and excellent willpower and imagination. Most people could provide the intent, for example, but not the means to instruct their magic. This will result in the death of the target through any means the magic ends up taking, and would be influenced by peripheral thoughts.

So a wizard who intends to kill a pig for the purpose of fine dining who happened to think about what nice bacon they would get, might accidently kill the pig by transfiguring it to bacon. Or depending on what they were thinking of they could burn, freeze or vivisect etc. the target. And who can be certain that the energy required to burn a pig to death wouldn't knock the wizard out. So killing a dragon might take up more energy than a wizard possesses and so cause their own death.

To prevent this end spells are used. Where intent triggers magic a spell channels or instructs it. The more complicated the task the more important the spell. Spells provide control and define how magic will be used. This in turn allows the calculation of required energy and also, through spellcrafting, can increase efficiency.

Taking this back to the freezing of something magically we now have options. Imagine the first person to create a freezing charm created a spell which used magic to lower the temperature of the water below freezing point (Energy manipulation). The energy required by the spell is the energy of melting plus the change in temperature before melting and after (depending on how cold the frozen object would be).

The disadvantages here are that this spell will require more energy in a warm climate or with warmer water, and could be lethal if an uninformed wizard attempted to freeze carbon dioxide without a working knowledge of thermodynamics and the relevant heat capacities and freezing point.

Another person develops a spell that works through the molecular manipulation form of magic by rearranging molecules in their solid structure.

Here we have to spells that do the same thing using different forms of magic. The molecular manipulation spell is, in this case, the more elegant solution as it requires less energy and will have less variation in its energy requirement making it easier for the caster to predict the energy cost.

While this illustrates the purpose of spells in protecting the wizard it does not illustrate the true power of spells.

* * *

**Multi-step and Multi-form Spells**

While all but the most feeble minded magic user could manage a spelless freezing charm of either model only the most imaginative and mentally disciplined could perform complex spells. Take the example of cooking.

To cook a rare steak could be done instantly chemically, but would result in a cold cooked steak. To have a hot steak that is cooked on the outside but hot and rare on the inside would require a genius. To replicate cooking would take time, whereas to chemically change the steak to a cooked steak and then raise it to the desired temperature would be instant, but would require a great deal of focus and technical knowledge.

The solution to this is the multi-form and multi-stage spell. To cook a steak with only a single incantation and wave of the wand while the spells design allows it to control the magic through two steps and more than one form of magic these compound spells are used.

The creation of spells is a complex matter as it requires an understanding of all the forms to be used as well as the mathematical knowledge to deal with the energy balance of the desired magic. Take the cooking spell. It has to cook the meat (using the form of molecular manipulation) and the meat must be heated (using the form of energy manipulation). It is a two-step two-form spell.

There is no limit to the number of forms or steps in a spell, only the talent of the spell-crafter and the resulting complexity are barriers. In theory a spell could be crafted to conjure a trumpet but the mixture of the sub-atomic and molecular manipulation forms combined would result in a five or six-minute spell, where any small error is detrimental to the entire spell.

* * *

**Important notes on my magical universe**

The following are explanations that should answer any questions arising from my magic use in any fics.

**Transport:**

Two forms of magical transport exist in my universe (brooms & flying vehicles are not counted as they do not transport you directly through magic, but rather through varied indirect spells effecting objects). I do not use floo at all because I haven't found a reasonable explanation for it, if I find one I'll start using it.

**Apparition:**

Apparition is the disassembly and reassembly of a person through magic. It is energy intensive and not always instantaneous. It varies a great deal from user to user as it uses no spell. Where one person might 'beam' themselves up to a great height and then down to their destination, another might move themselves through all objects in their way. This is because apparition works through the users intent and they are transported as they imagine being transported. When apparition you need to take into account the movement of the earth, wind, changes in height and momentum when arriving. All of these making apparating any distance (out of a room) a tricky and risky enterprise. Its main use is apparating to another visible spot (in duels for example). As well as this splinching in my universe isn't a nice clean missing hand as if someone sliced of a wrist with a lightsabre. Things work in a molecular level. If you mess up you lose say 10% of you on a molaecular beasis. Or you put yourself together wrong. It's disastrous, there's little pieces missing throughout your body.

**Portkeys:**

Portkeys are to apparition what spells are to pure, intent based, magic. A portkey can travel long distances and and expert has taken into account longitude, latitude, wind, the earth's rotation and momentum. While portkeys can be made for anyone the best experience results from a portkey made for you (your height, build etc) and the use of a portkey not made for you is splightly unpleasant. Additionally standard portkeys are made for a set of people, for example 'the family portkey' two kids two adults. If an adult were to use a child portkey then they would end up in a situation similar to splinching, with the unpleasant addition of being up to their knees in their landing surface as the portkey tried to reassemble them in space occupied by the floor.


End file.
